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O brave new world….that has such people in’t

I thought it must be, because it is so weird that it defies belief. I certainly find it unbelievable, but then I do have trouble with a lot of modern life, including, so often, its absence of common sense. But surely it isn’t only the elderly who find this news definitely bizarre.

Here’s the news that is not fake.

“Doctors are being told not to call pregnant women ‘mothers’ – over fears they might offend transgender people.”

That is the advice the British Medical Association has issued to the NHS. Yes, the same NHS which is in the news night after night because it is in, or close to, a state of Crisis. Suddenly, as you frantically cope with chaos and a lack of beds, you are going to have to watch the very words you use. It won’t be so bad if you work in Geriatrics say, although even there I suppose there are quite a lot of people who are ‘mothers’. But it’s going to be very tough on GPs, and Maternity services will be in a state of panic in case they say the wrong thing.

Just imagine the scene, for a moment. There you are, in a Labour ward, concentrating on this precious delivery. The midwife is encouraging you in the age old way. “Come on, Mo….” She stops in panic, the emerging baby forgotten. She was about to say the forbidden word. “Come on, pregnant person……” doesn’t have the same ring about it, does it?

I do not care one iota if a woman wants to think she is a man. If she becomes pregnant and still insists she is a man I shall avoid her. I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings or give offence, but my common sense would be so seriously affronted that I would be worried about what I might blurt out.

Women have babies and become mothers. That is what women do. Men do not have babies. I would have hoped that was perfectly obvious.

What causes me to rant and rage is this determined assault on my native language. If something as powerful and respected as the BMA can ban one of the most emotive and fundamental of all English words what will be banned next. Words like boy and girl are already on their way out in a—to me, terrifying—effort to encourage children just starting school to choose their ‘gender.’ Youngsters, eight to ten year olds, too young to judge for themselves on most things, are being fed hormones to interfere with puberty. This is “1984” and “Brave New World” happening now, with support from bishops and the BBC. And we don’t seem to care.

There is absolutely nothing democratic about any of this. An edict like this begins to smack of the totalitarian state. This directive from the BMA appears to have been issued simply in response to the perceived ‘needs’ of one 20 year old human being. She has been legally defined as male after hormone treatment. (Oh, yes. The Law is in on this.) Now, apparently, he/she has put on hold an operation—for what I can’t imagine—in order to have this baby. I’m pretty sure that must mean she still has the female bits that matter when it comes to having babies. That is simple common sense.

Be warned. Once one person has gone down this route, no matter how much the legal definition of “Male” flies in the face of the bleeding obvious, several others will follow. There will never be enough of these transgender pregnant people to justify banishing some of the most fundamental words in the English language but don’t bank on it. People who seem unable to see beyond their sex and gender agenda are a fiercely powerful lobby.